Tripura High Court has stayed the transfer of Bishalgarh Executive Engineer Subir Das amid a dispute over departmental charge and pending contractor payments. More than 150 contractors protested over approximately Rs. 370 crore in outstanding Jal Jeevan Mission bills.
The Tripura High Court has stayed the transfer of Subir Das, Executive Engineer of the Bishalgarh division of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department, allowing him to continue in the post until further orders. The development comes amid a dispute over the transfer of departmental charge and concerns regarding pending payments to contractors working under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Das said on Friday that the High Court had stayed the transfer order and that he would remain in his position until further directions from the court. The matter has drawn attention following protests by more than 150 contractors, who staged demonstrations for three consecutive days over concerns that the transfer could affect the clearance of their outstanding bills.
According to Das, contractors in Sepahijala district are awaiting payments for work completed under the Jal Jeevan Mission. He claimed that approximately Rs. 370 crore in bills remained outstanding in the district.
Das further stated that funding had not been received for nearly two years and that the recent release of funds had raised expectations among contractors that their pending payments would be cleared. The contractors reportedly expressed concern about possible delays in the payment process amid the proposed change in the division’s leadership.
The transfer order sought to replace Das with Gautam Ghosh, the Sub-Divisional Officer of Kathalia. However, the change in charge became contentious after Ghosh reportedly assumed responsibility for the Executive Engineer’s office during Das’s absence.
According to Das, he was unable to attend the office on Friday because of illness and had received treatment at IGM Hospital in Agartala. During his absence, Ghosh took charge of the Executive Engineer’s office, Das claimed.
Das said he subsequently went to the office after learning that his nameplate had allegedly been removed. He questioned the procedure followed in transferring responsibility between the two officers, maintaining that the required formalities had not been completed.
“When an officer is transferred, the charge has to be handed over through a process. That was not done in this case,” Das said.
The dispute has unfolded against the backdrop of concerns over outstanding payments for infrastructure works carried out under the Jal Jeevan Mission, a government programme aimed at providing household tap water connections. Contractors have reportedly been pressing for the release of their dues, with the recent availability of funds raising hopes of progress in settling pending bills.
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The High Court’s interim order allows Das to continue as Executive Engineer while the matter remains subject to further judicial directions. The stay concerns the transfer order, while the dispute over the assumption of charge and the status of outstanding contractor payments has also drawn attention.
The amount of approximately Rs. 370 crore in pending bills was cited by Das and has not been independently verified in the information available. Further developments will depend on subsequent court directions and the department’s handling of the transfer and payment-related issues.
